Improvement in apparatus for decorticating grain



no grain or dust can escape.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

SILAS DODSON, ,OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, JAMESVAN VALKENBURG, OF BINGHAM'ION, NEW YORK, AND GEO.

PALMER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

' IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR DECORTICATING GRAIN.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 33,309, datedNovember 26, 1872.

, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SILAS DODSON, of J ersey City, in the county ofHudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain improvement inGrain-Scourers, of which the following is a specification:

My improvement belongs to that class of machines which clean and scourthe grain preparatory to grinding. The invention consists of a stonecasing constructed in sections, as hereinafter described, and combinedwith an interior cylinder armed with heaters, in the manner and for thepurpose specified. The invention further consists of a novel andimproved process or mode for scouring or decorticating grain, the sameconsisting inprojecting the grain, through the medium of beaters, upon acasing which is made up wholly or in part of stone, as will hereinaftermore fully appear.

In the drawing, Figure l is an elevation,

. partly in section, of my improved machine;

Fig. 2, a cross-section of the outer stone casin g above the innercylinder, which is shown in plan; Fig. 3, an elevation, partly insection, of the inner cylinder, showing also a portion of the outerstone casing at the bottom.

These parts are all mounted in a frame, A,

which may be of any desired or convenient,

construction. The outer cylinder is composed of stone, or of stone and,in part, of other material, in a series of segments or staves, B B, setup endwise between the head-plates O C of the frame and clamped fast inplace; or the casing may bebuilt up in blocks of any convenient form.They are retained against outward movement by lugs or blocks a 60attached both to the upper and lower plates, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.This arrangement allows the segments to be removed or replaced at anytime. The edges of each of these segments are beveled ofl, as shown at bb, Fig. 2, thereby leaving a triangular notch, c. A square bearing, d,is left, however, on each edge, which, abutting with the next, makes acontinuous bearing all around the inner periphery, so that In each ofthe triangular notches c is located an upright batten, E, which fitsclosely in the joint, and thereby assists in excluding dust and closingthe passage through. These battens are held by can be set up tocompensate for the wear by i simply dressing off said bearings 01 (1. Bythis means the maximum amount of wear may be secured from the stones. Insuch case it will be noticed that the angles of the notches 0 0 willalways remain the same, and, therefore, 7

there will always be an accurate fit of the battens E E to close thejoints. Withinthe hollow space inclosed by the stone casing is located acylinder, G, or-equivalent, which is provided at its periphery with aseries of heaters, wings, or other devices, jj, which will an swer thesame purpose; or a combination of the heaters with brushes may be used.The cylinder is preferably covered with sheet metal, and a sufficientspace is left between its surface and the sides of the case for thepassage of the grain down, and for the running of the heaters. Theseheaters, as shown in the drawing, consist of strips of metal stayed byangle-bearings ff, and may be placed on a line with the spindle orarranged in. a spiral or inclinedline, so as to hold or retain the grainin its downward passage to get the best effect of the scouring action,and preventing too rap.- id a discharge. The grain, entering at the top,

is carried around in the annular space by these heaters and subjected toan intense scouring action by the rapid projection of the grain singlyagainst the stone casin g, which removes the outer cuticle and cuts 01fthe refuse end of the berry, and the grain comes through in aperfectly-clean state, and containing only thatportion which is suitablefor grinding into flour. On top of the cylinder is a depression orhollow,

h, with a raised rim, 2', at'its margin. The

grain is fed in through a suitable aperture, is, into this depression,and the centrifugal ac tiori spreads it equally over the top of the cylinder and discharges it in a thin and uniform y sheet over the rim t andinto the space he tween the cylinder and easing. This arrange; mentforms one feature of my invention. i y y The clean grain is dischargedat the bottom through an aperture, 1, into a suitable receptacle. Therefuse may either be discharged with it, and the whole subsequentlyscreened, or an exhaust-fan may be located above the machine for drawingoff the dust and refuse as the process of scouring goes on. In thebottom plate 0 is located a perforated ring or thimble, II, open at bothends and resting under the cylinder. The perforations open into thespace between the cylinder and casing, and

thereby allow the air to enter in an equal and uniform current allaround, and at the same time the body of the ring prevents the escape ofany portion of the grain, except through the proper exit. It has theadvantage of preventing any choking or clogging, while it distributesthe air. This also forms one feature of my invention.

This machine is found more effective than those generally in use forscouring the grain, as the stone presents a fine grained surface for thefrictional action, which removes the covering of the berries withoutbreaking them or subjecting them to undue wear. The construction of thecasing in segments, by which they may be removed or replaced at anytime, is also of great advantage; and the cutting away or notching ofthe edges, leaving only a thin bearing, d, to preserve the contact,enables the proper adjustment to be produced to compensate for wear.

The result produced by the frictional action to which the grain issubjected in my machine is different in character and far moresatisfactory than has been heretofore attained. The grain while passingthrough the machine is projected, whipped, or beaten rapidly back andforth against the stone casin g. The peculiar nature of this frictionalaction against the sharp granular surface of the stone casing removesentirely the outer cuticle of the berry and cuts off the woody fibroussubstance adhering to the ends of the grain. The results of the removalof these substances previous to grinding is, that the motive powerrequired for grinding is lessened, the capacity of mills isincreased,thequalityoftheflouris verymaterially improved,andits marketvalue correspondingly enhanced. The removal of this outer cuticle andthe woody fiber Without heating or otherwiseinjurin g the grainhasneverbeen accomplished by any ofthe machines in use. The usual methodof cleaning grain in machines with metallic casings of different kindssimply removes the loose foreign substancessuch as smut, dust, &c.whilethe few experiments made to clean grain by subjecting it to a rubbingprocess between an inner surface running in close contact with a stonecasing have failed in consequence of heating the grain .and theimmediate glazing over of the working surface of the stone, therebyrendering them useless. I overcome these difficulties entirely, andsecure the advantages named, by constructing the outer casin g of stone,and keeping it clean and sharp by the rapid trituration of the grain, inan open space, against the granular working surface of the casing.

Having thus described the construction and operation of my improvedmachine, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-- 1.In a grain-scourer, a casing, B B, composed wholly or in part of stone,for the purpose specified, and used in connection with interior heaters,substantially as described.

2. In a grain-sconrer, I claim the combination of the revolving cylinderG, armed with a se ries of boaters, jj, or their equivalent, witha stonecasing, B B, in the'manner and for the purpose specified.

8. In a grain-scourer, I claim the combination, in the segments, of thebevel-edges b b and the square bearing-edges d d, so arranged as tocompensate for the wear of the interior of the casing, by a redressingof said square edges, as herein described.

4. The mode herein described of scouring grain, the same consisting inprojecting the grain upon the inner periphery of a stone casing, bymeans of interior wings or heaters, substantially as described.

SILAS DODSON.

\Yitnesses:

WILLIAM G. BAINE, ARCHIE BAINE.

